Crème Caramel

The most common dessert I found in almost all parties is a Crème Caramel and it’s my husband absolute favorite dessert. It was daunting to me to make a crème caramel from scratch but when I tried it for the first time it turned out to be one of the easiest recipe I made. However, I did swap few ingredients to make it more easier.

Compared to most of the recipes, I use less eggs and add an additional ingredient of Cream cheese as it gives the Crème Caramel a more rich and creamy texture, it is best enjoyed the next day but in my family we do not have patience to wait for a day, but we do manage to keep a small part of it the next day to enjoy. If you have the patience or a party, do prepare it the previous day and trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

However, the cream cheese is purely optional. I use Philadelphia cream cheese but you can substitute to a cream cheese that is of the same texture (thick cream cheese). If you are not using cream cheese then skip the first step of the recipe. I used the “bain marie” method on the stove top to cook the caramel. The water should be 1/3 or ½ of the way up the sides of the smaller container. I used a large saucepan with a lid.

Ingredients:

40gms of cream cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese)

3 eggs

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 and ½ cup of full fat milk or one can of evaporated milk (400 ml)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (400 ml)

For caramel

¼ cup white sugar

Method:

In a large bowl, whip cream cheese to remove lumps for a half a minute or so.

Then add the eggs and whisk until combined.

Add the vanilla extract, condensed milk and whole milk/evaporated milk and whisk till amalgamated.

Heat a pan and add sugar.

Wait till it caramelize to golden brown color

(Tip: Do not stir the sugar, you can swirl the pan that way no sugar crystals will form)

In the meantime you can prepare the “bain marie”. I put the water into my large saucepan and allow it to come to roaring boil.

Take the dish you want to cook your caramel in, you could use either one saucepan or small ramekins, you can chose.

Once the caramel reaches the golden brown stage pour the caramel into your saucepan or ramekin, then pour in your crème mixture. You tap the pan slowly to remove air bubbles or pass it through a sieve to get a silky texture.

Cover the ramekins or saucepan with aluminum foil and slowly and carefully put in the larger saucepan with boiling water.

Cover with the large saucepan lid and turn the stove to a slow flame or low heat and cook it for 45min.

To test if the Crème caramel is done just, put a toothpick and if it comes out clean your Crème caramel is done.

Remove slowly from the bain marie and uncover the Crème caramel. Let it cool.

Once cool to touch then run a knife or offset spatula round the edges of the crème caramel container and confidently turn it on your serving plate and cover with cling wrapper and place in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours or overnight for best results.